Chapter 2: When Does the Crucial Moment Come?

Having decided on a course of action, I buried myself in reading the diary.

Reicia-chan’s diary was filled with detailed descriptions of her faction members, as well as the people who opposed her. Apparently, she was a rather meticulous person.

If I read this diary thoroughly, I should be able to grasp her social network with precision.

...Not that I’m completely free of guilt about diving into the personal diary of a teenage girl, but if I held back out of shame and left things be, my unfamiliarity with her relationships would absolutely put me at a disadvantage—and that, in turn, would end up negatively impacting Recia-chan herself.

If I can show results that make it worth the cost, I’ll just apologize to Recia-chan when “that moment” comes. That’s how I’ve decided to look at it for now.

By the time I had finished reading it from cover to cover, the sun was already setting.

According to the diary, meals at Tokiwadai Middle School are normally taken in the cafeteria. Therefore, if I want to eat, I’ll have to go to the cafeteria... but—

...It’s a place where all the students gather.

Naturally, there must be plenty of people who harbor ill feelings toward Recia-chan.

The real trial is probably going to start once I get to the cafeteria.

With that thought in mind, I turned the doorknob and stepped out of my room. And then—

"Ah."

"Oh?"

...Ah.

...It seemed that just as I stepped out of my room, two girls also emerged from theirs.

Misaka Mikoto and Shirai Kuroko.

...Forget what I said about the real trial starting after I get to the cafeteria. That was complete nonsense.

---

Prologue: What Matters Is the Aftercare – For_starters…

Episode 2: When Does the Crucial Moment Come? – First_Impression.

---

No no no no.

Sure, I’d heard that Mikoto was staying in the room next door. But I didn’t expect to run into her this soon! I was planning to make contact a bit later!

Now we’ve made eye contact—completely—and I was just thinking about how to greet her, when Mikoto made the first move.

“Ah, you… are you okay now?”

“…”

Are you okay now? …Ah, she must be referring to the attempted drowning. I wonder how much Mikoto knows. …Did she even hear about it?

Normally, the school might be informed about things like that, but I doubt the details get passed on to the students. Most likely, she just knows that I was hospitalized…

“What’s with the blank stare? …Ah, maybe you didn’t hear? I’m the one who pulled you out of the river.”

…You’re telling me it was Mikoto-san who saved me…?

“…Um, I’m not going to apologize for what I said back then. I don’t think I said anything wrong. …But, if you were in such pain that you thought about ending your life… then I completely failed to notice it. On the contrary, I confronted you and pushed you right to the edge. For that… I’m sorry.”

Mikoto said this all on her own and bowed her head.

…I have no idea what’s going on here. Let’s see. Judging from Mikoto’s tone, it seems that the reason Recia-chan decided to attempt suicide was some conflict with Mikoto—and Mikoto was also the one who saved her?

So Mikoto doesn’t think she was wrong in how she handled that incident, but at the same time, she regrets not being there for Recia-chan when she needed support… or something like that?

…No, wait. Mikoto’s not at fault here at all.

From her perspective, there’s no way she could’ve known just how cornered Recia-chan felt. You confront someone’s tyranny and they end up trying to take their own life? That’s not something anyone could foresee. Especially not a fourteen-year-old girl like Mikoto.

She’s a well-raised kid—or rather, too well-raised. That probably made it all the harder for Recia-chan, who takes a lot of pride in herself. I kind of get that. I’m a small-minded person too.

But if I let my pride get in the way now and slap away the hand she’s reaching out with, nothing’s ever going to start.

Also, Shirai Kuroko, who’s been silently staring at me this whole time, has a pretty piercing gaze.

It’s not a “Why doesn’t Onee-sama just ignore this trash?” kind of look… No, it’s more like, “After everything Onee-sama’s done, are you still planning to turn her away?”—a look that’s testing me.

I gave Kuroko a small nod, then said:

“Please raise your head, Misaka-san.”

And placed a hand on her shoulder.

Mikoto did as I asked and lifted her face. As expected, her expression was filled with guilt.

…Though honestly, I’m the one who should be feeling guilty here.

Anyway, in order to seize the best future in this moment, I spoke.

“…I had a vague feeling that someone saved me. Like… in a dreamlike haze, I remember someone pulling me up…”

Of course, that’s a lie. But if I say that, it gives me a reason to “reform.”

…I’m fabricating Recia-chan’s emotions, and for that, I ask her forgiveness. Just this once.

"And that’s when I realized how foolish I’d been. Just how selfishly I’d been living… and how many people I must have hurt because of it… Even if I regret it now, it might already be too late…”

“That’s not true!!”

—Just as I was about to say that I would still do everything I could to atone, Misaka suddenly grabbed my hand tightly before I could finish.

Her eyes were blazing with determination.

“It’s never too late. If you’ve decided to change, the results will follow. I’ll help you. And Kuroko will too!”

“Wha—!? Onee-sama, I can’t believe you expect me to go out of my way for this girl…”

Despite what she was saying, Kuroko didn’t exactly look displeased.

Still, Misaka seemed weirdly eager to help. Well, I know she’s a good person and all, but…

Ah… wait. Could it be…? Did she feel the same thing I did when I read that diary? Like, maybe she’s blaming herself too, thinking “I was involved, but I didn’t even notice”?

Man… Misaka, you’ve got a real handful of a personality. You should really take it easier on yourself.

“…Thank you.”

I didn’t say any of that out loud, of course. Instead, I simply lowered my head deeply as I spoke.

Then I looked up and met Misaka’s eyes.

Since Reicia-chan can’t come forward right now, I’ll take responsibility on her behalf.

“Still, this is a mess I made. No matter how hard the road ahead may be, I want to make up for it with my own hands.”

“…”

“Hoh…”

Kuroko let out a surprised sound.

…Honestly, I really appreciate their offer to help. But the world isn’t full of kind people like Misaka. If I go around trying to make amends with someone like her backing me, it’s just going to look like I’ve brought a yakuza along to help apologize. That’s not going to convince anyone I’m sincere.

That’s just the practical reality of it.

So, I gently declined Misaka’s offer, and bowed my head once again.

“Also, Misaka-san, Shirai-san… I’m truly sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused you until now.”

“I’m not even worried about that anymore. If anything happens and you need help, don’t hesitate to ask. I’ll be there for you.”

“If you’re genuinely remorseful, then I have nothing more to say. Just hold on tight to that feeling.”

With that, the two of them headed toward the cafeteria.

For a first interaction, I’d say that went pretty well. Now, the next hurdle is the rest of the faction...

---

The moment I stepped into the cafeteria, I felt the atmosphere change completely.

Until then, the girls had been chatting gracefully and eating in a ladylike manner, but now the whole place was engulfed in silence. …Give me a break. I already got lost on the way here and I’m exhausted…

…That said, I get why it’s happening.

I don’t know all the details, but Reicia-chan had her pride shattered badly enough that she seriously contemplated suicide. Not just beaten by Misaka—but probably humiliated in front of a bunch of other students too.

Word of her defeat must’ve already spread throughout Tokiwadai.

Basically, me showing up is like the defeated general entering the scene. Of course everyone’s going to be curious about what I do next.

So...

I sat down alone at a table and started eating.

It’s pathetic, but I couldn’t even make contact with the rest of the faction.

……………………Because I don’t know what they look like.

Pretty obvious, right? Even if I know their names, I can’t tell who’s who without faces to match. And since everyone’s staring at me in shock, it’s impossible to figure it out from their expressions either…

With no other choice, I quietly ate my meal while using only my eyes to observe the people around me.

Misaka seemed like she was about to throw me a lifeline, unable to stand watching any longer—but Kuroko held her back. As for the others, they all just turned their eyes away, pretending I didn’t exist.

Well, I guess it’s bad manners in ojou-sama culture to stare too much at someone like that—was what I was thinking, when suddenly, I noticed a group completely staring me down.

To my left, about five meters away, a table full of girls.

One had absurdly long drill curls, another had her forehead exposed with glasses… Every single one of them had a unique look. When I focused my ears...

“…What exactly is ‘that person’ planning to do?”

“Rumor has it she was hospitalized after falling ill…”

“What about retaliation against us?”

“…We don’t know…”

“B-but! Didn’t we all agree we wouldn’t bow to ‘that person’ anymore!?”

“Y-yes, that’s right… We won’t run away from ‘that person’ ever again!”

“T-together, we’ll stand up to her…!”

……………………………………

…They sound like brave citizens mustering their courage to rise up against some great evil.

From their perspective, the idea that Reicia-chan might have attempted suicide probably never even crossed their minds… I only understand because I read the diary, but Reicia-chan really was a tyrant who lived like she was above everyone else.

Which probably made her the type to completely fall apart once she cracked…

Still… what do I even do here? I can tell these girls are members of Reicia-chan’s faction, but I still can’t match names to faces. And more than that, the way they’re banding together now…

I doubt just walking up and saying, “I’ve reflected and I’m sorry” is going to work. They’d be so thrown off by it that there’s no telling how they’d react.

For today, it’s probably best not to provoke them any further.

Just as I was thinking that, I finished my dinner.

When I get back, I’ll need to go through every email and message I have, start matching names to faces. Maybe if I dig up one of the faction’s internal papers or something, I’ll get some clues.

With that in mind, I stood up and glanced at the group of girls who were still staring at me. Then, I gave them a polite bow.

I can’t make any big moves just yet—but I can at least try to show them where I stand.

“…D-did you see that?”

“Did he just bow… to us?”

“…What’s he trying to say?”

“Was that… an apology?”

“Ehh… I doubt it…”

“Then… maybe it was a new form of declaration of war?”

“Eeeek…”

…Well, looks like it’s going to take quite a while before they really understand how I feel.